The present invention relates to a small-sized watercraft including an openable and removable hood hinged to both the hull and hood sides and more particularly to a unit for mounting the hood on the hull of the watercraft.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 58596/1974 discloses a small-sized watercraft comprising a step located on the rearward portion of the hull and on which an operator stands, and a vertically rotatable handle pole on the forward portion of the hull, the rearward end of the handle pole supporting a bar-like steering handle.
Such a type of watercraft also comprises an openable hood provided on a deck defining the upper portion of the hull to cover an engine mounted within the hull. The openable hood may also be removable from the hull to provide an easier access for engine maintenance.
To this end, the prior art watercraft further comprises a band of rubber one end of which is hooked on a part of the deck forwardly of the hood. The band extends over the hood in contact with the top face thereof with the other end of the band being detachably attached to the other part of the deck rearwardly of the hood. Thus, the hood can resiliently be held on the hull of the watercraft by means of the rubber band. However, a larger force is required to mount the hood on the hull or to remove it from the hull. Furthermore, the hood may be accidentally disengaged from the hull when the watercraft is subjected to a side wave.
Another attempt has been made in which a hood is openable and removably mounted on the hull in such a manner that a pin on one of two hinge elements respectively provided on the deck and hood is received in an opening in the other hinge element. In such an arrangement, however, it is cumbersome to re-mount the hood on the hull since the pin must be received in the opening while holding the hood in the operator's arms.